Tips on Entering a New Industry – ResumeEdgehttps://www.resumeedge.com
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:59:39 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Changing lanes: How to get a job in a different industryhttps://www.resumeedge.com/overcome-lack-experience/
https://www.resumeedge.com/overcome-lack-experience/#respondThu, 06 Mar 2014 17:09:01 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=4447Finding a job in your field right after graduation should be easy, right? What if you’re a lawn care specialist trying to cultivate a career in IT? Or an accountant who wants to land a job as an event planner in the restaurant industry? Overcoming a lack of experience to secure an entry-level position or...

]]>Finding a job in your field right after graduation should be easy, right? What if you’re a lawn care specialist trying to cultivate a career in IT? Or an accountant who wants to land a job as an event planner in the restaurant industry? Overcoming a lack of experience to secure an entry-level position or shift gears in your career is a matter of connecting the dots.

But you can also transfer skills from part-time or non-industry-related jobs you held while in school. For example, if you worked as a retail sales associate, call center representative, or restaurant server, you have customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills. If you did not work while in school, you can bring industry-specific skills you learned in your studies.

For a complete career change, it’s important to do your research on your new industry. Let’s say you work in lawn care and have strong artistic skills. You could pursue a degree in landscape architecture or take technical courses in AutoCAD to draw computerized plans for landscaping projects. Think digitally remodeled spaces on HGTV. A technology-centered job isn’t so far-fetched for a lawn care specialist, is it?

#2: Repurpose your resume

Now that the wheels are turning to mobilize your career, the next “dot” is to position yourself for the right role. Consider the contents and structure of your existing resume. Does it effectively showcase your qualifications for the role you’re seeking?

For recent grads, you should place your relevant education or internships at the top. Highlight any outstanding accomplishments (e.g., honors, high GPAs, or scholarships) that will help you stand out among the competition.

To transfer skills from one field to another, you should list quantifiable achievements from positions you’ve held. For example, if you served a certain number of customers daily, met or exceeded set sales goals, received any recognition awards or simply positive feedback from customers verbally, include them in your resume. In most fields, figures (e.g., stats, dollars, percentages) are sure to capture attention.

#3: Customize your communication

To connect the final dot, you must clearly communicate your endeavors. But don’t just send your resume out aimlessly and hope that someone hires you. You should customize your cover letter and resume to each position with a personal touch.

Do a little detective work to find out the hiring professional’s name via the web (e.g., Google, LinkedIn, or the company’s website) and inside connections (e.g., referrals from professors, friends or relatives already working at the company). Make your communication short and concise by placing the content of your cover letter in the body of an email and addressing it to that specific person.

Get the picture

Still can’t see moving to restaurant event planning from accounting? Let’s say part of your job involves entertaining clients or arranging catered meals for business meetings and conferences. If you begin to enjoy that more than crunching numbers, and you’re good at it, you might be ready for a career shift.

Your objective needs to be really clear, advises chef-consultant Gary E. Miller in an article on hcareers.com. “If you don’t have the resume to back it up, you must say up front you really love the restaurant industry,” Miller says, “you have spent some time in the business, you have the interest and a willingness to learn.” Communicating this in your cover letter and resume to add color to your career conversations.

]]>https://www.resumeedge.com/overcome-lack-experience/feed/0Navigating a Career Transitionhttps://www.resumeedge.com/navigating-a-career-transition-2/
https://www.resumeedge.com/navigating-a-career-transition-2/#commentsTue, 06 Aug 2013 13:17:46 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=3751by Kelly L, ResumeEdge Certified Writer – Career transitions are difficult, period. You may be forced into a transition via a layoff, or from prospects drying up in your field, or by your desire to try something new. When you’re laid off (or terminated) or unhappy in your job, it’s an emotional time: you’re angry,...

Career transitions are difficult, period. You may be forced into a transition via a layoff, or from prospects drying up in your field, or by your desire to try something new.

When you’re laid off (or terminated) or unhappy in your job, it’s an emotional time: you’re angry, stressed, and worried about getting your next job. However, it’s also an opportunity to assess your work-life happiness. Is being an account manager truly your calling? Or, for instance, does cyber security sound more interesting?

An Example of a Career Transition

I was a Marketing Communications Director for 20 years. After being laid off for the umpteenth time, I updated my resume, landing interviews for similar positions. As time went on, I realized none of these opportunities excited me. So, I sat down and really thought about what part of my previous jobs’ varied aspects made me the happiest. Turns out it was writing.

Fortunately, I live in a state with Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) through the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)—it’s only available in a few states, so check with your local unemployment office. After meeting program qualifications, I was able to start my own business as a copywriter, while receiving unemployment benefits as a safety net. Later, I joined ResumeEdge’s pool of highly-qualified resume writers.

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) offers free training for career transitioning to those who qualify. Participating states have separate websites.

Special career transition programs:

There are government resources for displaced agency workers, those affected by natural disasters, farmers, and more.

For veterans, the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force’s goal is to have all states help troops attain credentials needed to successfully transition to the civilian labor market. Each branch of the military, such as the U.S. Navy, also offers career transitioning services.

How do I market myself now? (Especially if you’ve been in another career for a long time):

Repositioning your accomplishments with a new resume and cover letter is top priority. Identify skills that translate across different industries and highlight these as much as possible. Do some online research for jobs in your new chosen field and pepper your resume with those keywords—this improves your resume’s visibility when recruiters search for talent online, and use of industry jargon will show hiring managers you can handle the job.

Create a one-sheet biography to attach to the front of your resume, use as a job fair handout, and to email to recruiters and professional colleagues.

Instead of focusing solely on the big online job boards, try tools such as TweetMyJobs, which sends jobs matches to your email or mobile phone.

Nobody said navigating a career transition would be easy, but reinventing yourself mid- or late-career helps ensure job security within a changing marketplace—and provides the do-over you may not have realized you secretly wanted.

]]>https://www.resumeedge.com/navigating-a-career-transition-2/feed/1Leverage Your Experience for Your Next Career Movehttps://www.resumeedge.com/leverage-your-experience-for-your-next-career-move/
https://www.resumeedge.com/leverage-your-experience-for-your-next-career-move/#respondSat, 20 Aug 2011 19:12:49 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=562You have dutifully kept you career on track by accumulating valuable skills and experience through your past employment and educational opportunities. Now you feel that it’s time to take your career to the next level or even shift directions in your career path. One way to reinforce your candidacy for your next career move is...

]]>You have dutifully kept you career on track by accumulating valuable skills and experience through your past employment and educational opportunities. Now you feel that it’s time to take your career to the next level or even shift directions in your career path. One way to reinforce your candidacy for your next career move is to leverage your previous work experience so that it applies to your target position.

You already know what functional tasks you do on a daily basis. These are your most prominent skills and abilities that qualify you to perform your job responsibilities. But what skills and experiences do you have that add value to your current and future organizations?

How Do You Measure Up to the Competition?

You need to establish a clear idea of your existing skills and experience to determine what valuable skills you have that will transfer to your next job. You can easily accomplish this self assessment by creating a career status report. This report includes a list of the skills that you have built through your previous work experience, schooling, professional development, and even your hobbies.

Creating a career status report will take some effort, but it will help you establish a clear vision of your skills and experience. The prospect of a new job involves adjusting to a new work environment and scaling a learning curve. A good way to demonstrate your ability to rapidly make the transition is to recall how you came up to speed in your current and previous jobs. What learning resources did you use? Who did you talk with to learn about the company and your work assignments? What questions did you ask or wish that you had asked early on?

When you demonstrate your ability to rapidly learn new processes and technologies, it shows that you know how to be proactive and resourceful in making your way through a transition period.

Build Upon What You’ve Already Accomplished

Once you have created this part of your career status report, you can build a comprehensive list of value-added experiences that will boost your candidacy for your next job. You won’t want to just list the tasks you completed—make it into a useful document by including information about how the task or assignment helped the organization achieve its business objectives.

The following are examples of career status report entries and the type of information to include in each entry:

Trained colleagues on a new software tool. Skills included preparing and delivering a training presentation. Also mentored co-workers independently in a way that reduced organizational down-time for training purposes. Eliminated the costs of hiring an outside consultant to facilitate the training.

Strategic planning. Strategic planning does not apply only at an organizational level. You complete your own time management and planning efforts each time you begin a new assignment. This boosts your skills in setting up a project completion schedule, planning for contingencies such as interruptions and time away from work, and reporting project milestones.

Problem resolution. Very few projects reach completion without experiencing unforeseen issues and delays. What issues have you experienced in the past that will help you avert similar occurrences with future projects? This shows an ability to deal with setbacks while keeping your project moving forward.

These are examples of experiences that are outside of your job description. You always want to leverage your job-related experiences when you change jobs. However, you also want to highlight your experiences that will add value to your new organization.

]]>https://www.resumeedge.com/leverage-your-experience-for-your-next-career-move/feed/0Working for the Federal Governmenthttps://www.resumeedge.com/working-for-the-federal-government/
https://www.resumeedge.com/working-for-the-federal-government/#respondWed, 20 Jul 2011 19:16:47 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=571If you are currently searching for a job, have you considered the federal government as a potential employer? With rampant downsizings and job instability seemingly everywhere, the federal government has several advantages over private employers. For instance, did you know that the government is the nation’s largest employer? Or that the Department of Labor predicts...

]]>If you are currently searching for a job, have you considered the federal government as a potential employer? With rampant downsizings and job instability seemingly everywhere, the federal government has several advantages over private employers. For instance, did you know that the government is the nation’s largest employer? Or that the Department of Labor predicts a wealth of government jobs will open as baby boomers begin to retire over the next decade? While competition can be heavy and the application process can be a bit daunting, landing a federal job offers stability, opportunities for advancement, and great benefits. If you’re still not convinced, here are some other reasons a federal job is worthy of consideration.

Debt reduction. While the options vary according to profession and the agency you’re working for, the federal government offers several student loan repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

Jobs are everywhere. According to the Department of Labor, 85% of federal employees work outside the Washington, D.C. area. Federal employees are placed all over the globe. No matter where you’re located, you will likely find available federal positions close by.

The pay is good. There is a misconception that federal jobs are low paying. With the exceptional benefits, pay increases, and competitive wages, federal jobs are comparable to the private sector in most professions.

Flexible hours. The majority of government jobs offer flexible working hours or the option to work partially from home, depending on the position.

The federal government needs almost every kind of trade and skill. No matter your training and professional background, chances are there are government jobs available in your profession. The federal government hires people for positions in art, writing, teaching, forestry, science, research, foreign language, and the list goes on.

If these perks aren’t enough to convince you, consider this: working for the federal government is a service to your country. Yes, that’s right. People often say they want to “give back” or “make a difference in people’s lives”. Well, if you’re a federal employee, you are giving back. You’re working in a profession that addresses the needs of the nation.

With all of these advantages, there’s really no reason not to consider a federal job if you’re actively seeking employment.

]]>https://www.resumeedge.com/working-for-the-federal-government/feed/0Showcasing Military History/Performance to Outshine the Competitionhttps://www.resumeedge.com/showcasing-military-historyperformace-to-outshine-the-competition/
https://www.resumeedge.com/showcasing-military-historyperformace-to-outshine-the-competition/#respondMon, 20 Jun 2011 19:14:04 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=565Transitioning from the military world can be a challenge, but many candidates find great success in job searches when they are able to target specific companies that search for employees with this type expertise. Most individuals coming out of the military have valuable experience in leading teams and making strategic business decisions that greatly affect...

]]>Transitioning from the military world can be a challenge, but many candidates find great success in job searches when they are able to target specific companies that search for employees with this type expertise. Most individuals coming out of the military have valuable experience in leading teams and making strategic business decisions that greatly affect the projects they have been involved in. Accentuate strong leadership backgrounds to show how you can easily move into management positions. In the corporate world, employers look for people who can work independently without lots of direction, so focusing on being a self-motivated, disciplined individual is important. Be sure to highlight the demanding work schedules that the military typically imposes. Being able to work in fast-paced environments and handle highly stressful situations typically creates an outstanding level of integrity and gives you an above average work ethic that many others don’t offer.

Dovetail what you’ve done in the military to what you can do in the private sector

Emphasize communications skills by showcasing knowledge of various languages and the ability to work with individuals with varied cultural backgrounds. Highlight your computer proficiencies and technical strengths, eliminating technical jargon that simply does not apply outside of the military world unless it pertains to the job you are applying for.

Many companies specializing in defense, homeland security, and other government markets seek out experienced employees for job opportunities throughout the world, so indicate that you are able to relocate and travel. When contracts are lost, employees can be required to move as well, so being open to these situations will help a company see that you are the best selection. Defense companies search for applicants with security clearances and many times individuals aren’t even admitted to job fairs geared towards these industries without one.

Where do you start?

Closely analyze the job advertisements you find interesting. It is so important to show how your capabilities clearly parallel their job requirements by bringing out the matching skills to indicate your expertise is what an organization is searching for. This can be achieved not only within your professionally prepared resume, but also in a cover letter. These documents should highlight the most important aspects of your career and be crafted in a concise, yet informative manner. A long document that is jam-packed with too much detail simply won’t be read in this tight market.

To conclude, candidates with military backgrounds have so much to offer commercial employers, even those who are not involved in government-related ventures. By researching potential positions and marketing your most important abilities, you will be able to utilize the best of what you have learned while serving in the military and find an exciting, rewarding career opportunity.

]]>https://www.resumeedge.com/showcasing-military-historyperformace-to-outshine-the-competition/feed/0How to Compete in the Federal Job Markethttps://www.resumeedge.com/how-to-compete-in-the-federal-job-market/
https://www.resumeedge.com/how-to-compete-in-the-federal-job-market/#respondFri, 20 May 2011 19:15:24 +0000http://www.resumeedge.com/?p=568Employment with the Federal Government can put you on a rewarding career track and now is a good time to pursue government employment. Many long-time government employees are preparing to retire and government agencies are often the least affected by a recession. Despite the growing career opportunities with the Federal Government, it is a competitive...

]]>Employment with the Federal Government can put you on a rewarding career track and now is a good time to pursue government employment. Many long-time government employees are preparing to retire and government agencies are often the least affected by a recession. Despite the growing career opportunities with the Federal Government, it is a competitive endeavor. To obtain a job offer with a government agency, you need to know how to compete in that arena.

Competing for government jobs can be more challenging than competing in the private sector because government agencies commonly hire and promote from within. However, you can become a top contender if you devote time to ensure that you have the necessary qualifications and are steadfast and proactive in your pursuit. In order to improve your chances of gaining employment, you might be tempted to pursue several agencies. However, with government employment, you better your chances by focusing on only one or two agencies and devoting more time and effort to obtaining the necessary qualifications and mastering the application process.

Obtaining the Necessary Qualifications

To obtain the skills sought after by an agency, start by assessing the transferrable skills you already have with your current work. If you are skilled at a specific trade, look at the other tasks you perform to do your job. Determine what percentage of time you spend doing actual tasks as opposed to the time you spend talking to people, coordinating and scheduling projects, and solving problems. Communication, project management, and problem resolution are all transferable skills.

Study Vacancy Announcements

To be competitive in the Federal Government job market, you need to ensure that your knowledge, skills, and abilities are the best match for an agency’s job description. One way to boost your candidacy is to study government vacancy announcements (job postings). Often it is tempting to quickly review job postings to obtain the right keywords to place in your resume. This is counter productive. The more you know about the position and the agency, the better your chances are of winning your desired job. Vacancy announcements are long, but it’s worth your while to gain a thorough understanding of the job and agency. Make sure you complete the application process exactly as it is stated, and without copying and pasting, use the same keywords and terminology in your resume.

Be Proactive

Networking is extremely important in pursuing government employment because the competition is stiff. To get exposure in your desired organization prepare yourself by seeking out volunteer opportunities and meeting people in the agency by attending seminars related to the agency’s objective. More face-to-face contact with the people in your target agency greatly improves your employment prospects.

Getting hired with the Federal Government is often a complex process. However, you can boost your competitive edge by thoroughly preparing yourself to work in a specific agency. If you are diligent and persistent in your efforts, you can land.